Cristina Calderón

Cristina Calderón Harban[1] (24 May 1928 – 16 February 2022) was a Chilean ethnographer, craftswoman, writer and cultural activist who was the last living full-blooded Yahgan person after the death of her 84-year-old sister Úrsula in 2005.

[5] Halnpenš died soon after following an assault by a Spaniard,[6][5] and she was taken in to be raised by her aunt "Granny Gertie",[5] uncle Felipe, and cousin Clara,[6] who further taught her the Yahgan language.

[7] As a child, Calderón listened to stories of settler violence and the Yahgan's resistance, went hunting, and learned how to create handicrafts by watching her aunts.

[11] Zárraga, along with her husband Oliver Vogel, published Yagankuta, a dictionary and storybook of the Yahgan language, in 2010, based on interviews with Calderón.

[16] Her death was announced by her daughter, Lidia González, who served as the deputy vice president of the Chilean constitutional convention.

[1] Gabriel Boric, the president-elect of Chile, stated that her "teachings and struggles from the south of the world, where everything begins, will remain alive forever.

[16][7][10][8][1] She was also recognized by the National Council of Culture and the Arts as a Living Human Treasure in the framework of the Convention for the Safeguard of Immaterial Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 2003.

Traditional Yahgan basket, woven by Abuela Cristina Calderón